


After Night Falls

by sepgu_96line



Category: EXO (Band), SF9 (Band)
Genre: Angst, Anxiety Attacks, Character Death, Fluff, Graphic Description, Have i mentioned angst, Hunters, If You Squint - Freeform, M/M, Mentions of homophobia, Sexual Humor, Vampires, Werewolves, Witches, might have a little ooc, not much but there's some, other creatures too, the other members are there, the other ships are there too, there's definitely angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:02:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27064588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sepgu_96line/pseuds/sepgu_96line
Summary: Sehun and Juho, the inseparable club owner duo. One was brave enough to mingle around while the other preferred to sit by the sidelines. Despite their difference in personalities, they were stuck to each other by the hip. Many envied them; from their good looks down to their wealth. Though every perfect human being was bound to have flaws, secrets that needed to be kept. Theirs was one that would cost them their lives if it was ever made known
Relationships: Baek Juho | Zuho & Oh Sehun, Baek Juho | Zuho/Kim Seokwoo | Rowoon, Baek Juho | Zuho/Lee Sanghyuk | Dawon, Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Oh Sehun, Oh Sehun/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	1. Prologue

Children are often told that night is the perfect time for the monsters to appear, for them to devour you full and never leave a single limb behind. The forest is the perfect place for those supernatural beings to jump out and take you back to their base, to take you apart piece by piece. It scared children enough for them to stay in their homes, to stay in bed at an early hour and not get up unless wanting to be eaten.

As they grow old, most of them mature and learn that those stories were mere rumors, tales that were made up to scare children to stay in bed. They would often reminisce and laugh at their antics when they were younger and scared of the night. Those of them who, quite unfortunately, never got over the fear, they were chosen. For those stories were not just folktale that scared children. Some were a mediocre level of scary, just enough to get children to wet their beds. Others were enough to pull the soul out of even adults. Just a simple stare in their eyes and your soul would be theirs. You would have no escape.

Seokwoo thought it was the most ironic- and dare he say, cruel- thing ever. Those who were afraid of these things would be the ones who would have to get rid of them in order to protect those who were incompetent in this field. He thought it was the cruelest way for one to “overcome their fear”.

“Overcome my fear, my fucking ass,” he panted as he now ran through the woods in the muted darkness, the only thing that could be heard was the sound of leaves crunching beneath his feet while he ran for his life. He turned his head slightly to look at the thing chasing him, feeling fear creeping up his heart once more when he could not hear anything anymore. He hoped that he had left it behind, but the creature was too fast to be left behind. He felt as though the universe was playing a horribly planned out prank on him, and he definitely did not think it was funny.

“Fuck you, universe,” he muttered under his breath. “I fucking hate you.” His hatred towards the universe intensified when he felt his body colliding with someone taller than him. Inhaling sharply, he dared himself to look at who, _what,_ he had bumped into, fear clear in his eyes. The human-masked creature grinned at him before grabbing him and hoisting him over its shoulder. Seokwoo wanted to scream, but he knew there was no escaping it this time. He had to give in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First time writing a cross fandom fic >< this was the prologue-ish i hope you guys liked it


	2. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The font becomes a little wanky midway i’m sorry :(

There were a lot of people, too many some might say, but Juho was more than happy to be where he was. He could hear the thrumming of each human’s heart, the pounding of it while they were dancing. The sounds didn’t bother him anymore. After years of doing this, he had managed to silence all unwanted thoughts that scared him. Those silent whispers in his head that told him to have a taste, just a little taste would not hurt, would be blocked out by the loud music that rang in his ears even after they all left.

He found it a little hilarious how nobody had noticed him before, standing at the corner of the bar every day as he observed all those who came and went. Some were familiar faces, some were new, some looked like they wanted to get out of their as fast as they could. Juho wished he could help those who wanted to escape the place, but he feared he would be exposing himself too much. A hum made its way to his ear and it would have made him jump when he was younger, but he knew that all too familiar light hum.

“The people are so alive today,” he heard the owner of the hum say. Not bothering to turn and look ­at the older that was now perched by his shoulder, he replied with his own hum.

“Pay day, Sehun,” he said. The older, Sehun, laid his chin atop Juho’s shoulder and snaked his arms around the younger’s middle. His action made Juho turn his head to look at Sehun. The older had dyed his hair black this time, in contrast to the bright silver that he had the previous night.

“You’re extra clingy today,” he stated matter-of-factly. “And you’re wearing eyeshadow, too. What’s up with you today?” Sehun rolled his eyes at him.

“You say that but you’re wearing it, too,” he bit back.

“I wear it every day, what are you talking about.”

“Well, maybe I want to wear it every day, too!” the older whined. Juho merely shook his head weakly, not wanting to have a debate with the older over something like eyeshadow. Silence passed the both of them even if the club they were in was still alive.

“Who is it?” Juho asked after some time had passed. Sehun removed himself from the younger and faked a gasp. The younger turned in his seat with an amused look painted on his face.

“Baek Juho, how dare you assume such a thing,” Sehun said with feigned hurt, a hand resting on the place where his heart used to beat. “I would never.” Juho threw him a look that read, _“Really? You think I wouldn’t know you after being by your side for almost 300 years?”_

“Sehun-“ he cut his own words off when he saw the pout that was given to him, making him sigh inwardly. “You can’t just pout at me every time you want something.”

“Yes I can, and you know it.”

“Fuck off.” The simple yet venom-less words left his mouth, followed by a low chuckle. He knew he could never say no to the older, and the older with him. It was hard for them to resist the need to please the other, even without their hypnotizing powers- not that it would work if they used it on each other, but they just loved to annoy the other with it. Though when things did get out of hand sometimes, they made sure to remind each other that they were allowed to do anything to stop the other from making reckless decisions. Juho had a feeling this might be one of those moments. Slowly trying once again, he asked the older the same question.

“You still haven’t told me who it is,” he said, making Sehun groan aloud, throwing his head back as he did so.

“Do you really need to know?” he asked suspiciously. Juho did not like the way the older asked him, because he knew very well that meant trouble.

“As your brother, yes, I really need to know,” Juho said firmly. “Who is it, Sehun?” He waited for an answer but the older only looked down at his feet, hands shoved into the pockets of his ripped jeans. Juho sighed with a scowl etched on his face, frustrated with Sehun’s lack of cooperation and he had a feeling there was a strong reason he did so. He tried scanning his brother’s face to catch if there was any traces of guilt written on his face, and found himself sighing once again when he saw the glint of guilt in Sehun’s eyes when they made eye contact briefly.

Juho felt a chill run down his spine very abruptly, knowing what it meant and that Sehun had felt the same rush as him. Looking at the vampire across from him, he saw the older shuddering after feeling that familiar chill. He had expected Sehun to look disgusted- or maybe unaffected, like he usually would unless it was someone he deeply hated. Instead, there was excitement and hope glistening in his eyes. Juho swallowed thickly, having a hunch as to where this was leading to. Following his older brother’s eyes that were starting to scan the room, he found himself staring at a familiar big-eared man who, today, had his hair slicked back.

“Sehun,” he hissed when he noticed that the older was looking at the same man. “You can’t be serious.” Sehun looked up at him with wide eyes that tried to feign innocence.

“What do you mean?” he asked, blinking his eyes prettily as a way to escape from his brother’s wrath. He knew that his brother was the type that would hold in his anger when he got mad- which rarely happened- but he knew the consequences if the younger were to ever explode. One time, Juho stumbled upon one of their siblings being beat nearly to death, he had made sure to let hell loose that day. Sehun had tried to make sure that he would never see that again in his immortal life.

“You can’t seriously want Chanyeol,” he whispered harshly, not wanting the man they were talking about to hear them. Sehun kicked an invisible pebble in retaliation.

“Why not?” he whined. Juho stared at the older with his mouth agape, not believing what he heard. Sometimes he wondered if he really was the younger one amongst the both of them.

“He’s a Child of the Moon.”

“We’re the Children of the Night.”

“A werewolf.”

“Vampires.”

“Our enemy, for fuck’s sake, Oh Sehun!” he said in a half shout, trying to hold himself back from screaming to avoid drawing attention.

“But Juju-“ Juho shook his head vigorously in disagreement.

“No, absolutely not. It’s too reckless. _You’re_ too reckless. How can you-“ A familiar deep voice interrupted the arguing siblings, stopping them from further disagreements.

“Hey, Sehun,” Chanyeol called out to the older of the two siblings, grinning at Sehun, who returned the grin given. Juho stood up- to which his brother followed suit- to be at the same eye level as the werewolf, refusing to let the other make him feel small. “Baek,” Chanyeol greeted him cheekily. Juho bared his fangs at the wolf, a bitter smirk spread across his face.

“Park,” he returned the greeting. Chanyeol chuckled at the younger’s hot blood.

“Now, now,” he tutted, moving in closer to Juho’s ear to whisper. “Wouldn’t want to draw any unwanted attention now, do we, vampire?” The way the older smirked in his ear as he uttered the last word sent a shiver down his spine, hating how the other made it seem like the mention of his kind was a curse.

“You should watch out, wolf,” he whispered back with a smirk. “You and I both know that I can do just one thing and I’ll have you howling like there’s a full moon. I don’t think that’s something that you would want.” Chanyeol pulled back and growled lowly, his eyes staring into Juho’s in a way that would burn and was filled with all the curses that the world could offer, not that the vampire cared, that was. The dumb werewolf could do whatever he wanted, could try to push him, but he would stand where he was, like he had always done all these years.

Sehun who stood by the side could feel the tension seething from the both of them. He was not able to put his finger on what kind it was, but it was still there, and he knew it would bother the people around them. The other two might be threatening to expose each other, but Sehun feared that their bickering would bring too much attention. As immature as it was, Sehun let slip the words that randomly popped in his head so the two would put their focus on him.

“Now I’m not sure which brother is the one that wants to tap that werewolf ass,” he blurted out, playing off the sudden choice of words as a planned-out sentence with a grin spread across his face. Both heads turned his way and he knew that he had their attention now.

“Sehun, what the fuck,” Juho said with no filter in his head. Sehun had to wince a little at that. Chanyeol, on the other hand, scoffed.

“He couldn’t even if he tried,” he said with the return of his smirk from earlier.

Juho bit his lower lip to stop it from trembling. “Yeah, I know I can’t,” he said, catching the other two off guard. “I’ve tried before.” Sehun moved to hold his brother and maybe ask what he meant, but Chanyeol had beat him to it and grabbed his arm. The grip looked gentler than what Sehun had anticipated.

“Juho,” the wolf growled but with no traces of anger. “You promised.” Juho flicked his arm to set it loose and stared coldly at Chanyeol.

“Oh, fuck off, Park,” he said. “You didn’t care then you don’t have to pretend now. Just go fuck yourself. And don’t you dare hurt my brother or I’ll suck every ounce of blood in your body. You get that?” For once, the oldest of the three actually looked scared and it made Sehun wonder if Juho had ever done something like that before. Hell, he was still wondering what kind of beef his brother and Chanyeol had. He knew that now would definitely not be the right time to ask either one of them what happened, so he sealed his mouth shut, deciding to ask Juho later when they were both at home.

“Go on ahead, Sehunnie,” Juho said in the gentle tone that he only used on Sehun, dragging the older out of his head space. “I know you want to go with him.”

“But you don’t like him,” Sehun said, causing the younger to arch an eyebrow.

“And? I can tell that you like him, and if that makes you happy, go ahead.”

“You sure you won’t be mad?”

“Sehun, you’re my brother, not my puppet. You can do whatever you want. Just” A sigh. “Be safe, okay? I still want my brother alive.” Saying that last part, he threw a dirty glance in Chanyeol’s direction, making him squirm under the gaze.

“Are you really sure?”

“For the love of- Sehun, just go before I push you out with this big eared idiot.” Chanyeol looked like he was about to say something, maybe a retort to his comment on his ears- or maybe the fact that Juho had called him an idiot- judging by the way he kept on opening and shutting his mouth, but finally opted on staying quiet. Sehun thought it was odd to see the usually loud and charming man seem to shrink next to his brother. Juho, seeing neither of them moving, pushed the both of them towards the exit.

“Hunnie, I know you have questions but I’ll answer them later, okay?” he said in the gentle tone from earlier, coming to a halt when they reached the opening of the discreet building.

“Can’t we just explain now?” Chanyeol scoffed. Juho snapped his head in the werewolf’s direction, his eyes starting to turn a familiar ruby red, making Chanyeol flinch a little.

“I swear, Park,” he growled. “One more word out of you and I’ll chop your dick off and keep it in the freezer.”

“Kinky. I’m fine with it, though, babe,” Chanyeol purred. Judging by the way Juho’s eyes were starting to glow, Sehun knew he had to drag the older away to avoid any future mess. Like he had mentioned, Juho was very scary and very dangerous when he was mad. One could only imagine the chaos if he was downright furious.

“Okay, we’re going now, Juju,” said Sehun while he hooked his arm with Chanyeol’s. “Don’t forget to lock up the place, alright? I promise I’ll be back in a few hours.”

Forcefully, he pulled Chanyeol away with a wave to his brother. Juho sighed, closing his eyes to calm down the fire that was burning inside of him. He let out a bitter chuckle when he felt the storm inside of him go away.

It was at the ungodly hours of the following day when he closed up the place. It was a little rougher than his usual days, what with him having to persuade some drunkards to leave the place as he was about to go home, trying his best to not implode at that moment. Heaving heavily, he picked up the white crossbody bag that he had brought along with him the previous night. Juho glanced at the dark sky and prayed that it would remain that way by the time he made it home.

As he walked home, he let his mind wander off to places that made him wonder when those spaces existed. His memory was a little choppy from time to time, no one could blame him after being alive- well, not so much- for more than a few centuries. Though there was one memory that stood out amongst all of them; the one that he dread to explain to Sehun later. Sighing, he indulged himself in going down that specific memory lane.

It had to be a little under a century ago, making his memory remain fresh in his mind but fuzzy enough to numb the pain that he felt. Juho knew it would be dangerous to be in the relationship that he was in; mundane world wise and underworld wise. It was already frowned upon to be in a relationship with a werewolf, let alone a male wolf. Sehun knew about his sexuality and he was fine with it, happy in fact that his baby brother discovered who he was. His brother was always supportive of his decisions and that made Juho love him even more. He never feared bringing a man home, human or not, but never a werewolf.

He knew the dangers it would bring to his clan and the werewolf’s pack; they would be at war till the day they died, but who was he to deny Park Chanyeol. The absolutely perfect, utterly gorgeous Park Chanyeol. Chanyeol was everything to him and he safely assumed that the feeling was mutual. They would go on secret dates at night in hidden bars, kiss in the dark alleyways where no one could see them or back at the werewolf’s place. Small affectionate smiles were exchanged whenever they crossed paths, slight brush of hands when they passed by each other, any minute action to one another in public. They were in love and it was clear to anyone that had eyes, which was why they had to keep their meetings a secret and try to avoid bumping into each other often, no matter how much they wanted to. As Juho thought about it now, that was probably the contributing factor for their breakup.

Days slowly turned into weeks and Juho began to grow worried when he heard from Chanyeol less and less. When Juho sent out letters asking him if he was doing alright and if they could meet up soon, all that he got were short replies saying that he was doing good, apologizing for how they could not meet up. The letters stopped coming after a couple of months and it made the vampire’s anxiety skyrocket. Juho thought that Chanyeol might be busy to reply to his letters, so he gave it a month more. Then another, and another, and another. When his wait had reached six months, he knew he had to do something about it. He had been swamped with work for the past few weeks, so visiting the werewolf was not an option he had time to consider, but he knew he had to make an exception that once when he heard nothing from his boyfriend.

Juho waited until daytime came and watched as Sehun slowly drifted off to sleep with a book resting in his lap. Confirming his brother’s slumber by the gentle snores that escaped the older male’s lips, he snatched his cloak that hung by the front door and dashed out of the house. He realized how risky his actions were- he was bound to get caught and he knew- but he just wanted to know if Chanyeol was alright. He just wanted to know if he was safe, that was all that he needed to know.

The place where the werewolf resided was three hours away from his home if he rode the train, so he hopped onto the earliest train that left his city. As he sat in one of the carts, he anxiously bounced his knee with his gaze fixed on the scenery that would have taken his breath away if he was not in a state of panic. He tried to not think of the possible reasons as to why Chanyeol had not contacted him, though some did manage to take over his mind temporarily. He trusted the lycanthrope enough to know that he would not be cheating on him, but the other option scared him more. He would rather the other have another- though it would hurt like hell for him- rather than finding him dead.

Juho held himself back from dashing out of the train as soon as it came to a halt. Tugging the hood of his cloak further down his face, he tried ignoring the searing pain that was starting to burn his skin and kept on walking down the familiar road. He watched as the street lamps that illuminated the dark nights slowly go out as the sun began poking out in the open, decorating rooftops with beautiful rays of light. Looking at things like that- even in present time- made him miss being a human. He missed feeling the warmth of the sun caressing his skin, the light glowing beautifully on his skin as he basked in it. Now, the touch of the sun brought nothing but pain to him and his kin.

The vampire stopped in front of the door that he recognized after years of making his presence known in that area. Grabbing the spare key that he knew was placed in the vase by the door, Juho took a deep breath in and braced himself for whatever might happen behind those doors. “Chanyeol?” he called out for his lover the second he closed the doors behind him after going into the small house. “Chanyeol dearest, are you here?” If his heart was beating still, it would probably be pounding so hard that the sound of it would be ringing in his ears. Panic rose in him bit by bit when he heard footsteps making their way down the stairs.

“Juho?” Chanyeol’s voice could be heard from the stairs. Juho sighed in relief when he faced his lover, glad to know that the werewolf was alive and well. Though, that rose other questions in his mind. “Are you alright?” he asked hesitantly.

“I am,” Chanyeol said, his eyebrow arching in curiosity. “What brings you by my home?” Juho picked at the hem of his cloak, his gaze fixated on the wooden floor panels.

“I had grown worried about you when you replied not to my letters,” he muttered. Taking some buried courage, he braved himself to look into Chanyeol’s eyes and felt his heart pang when he saw the cold eyes that were staring right back at him. He became more hesitant with his next words, stumbling on them as he let the words loose. “W-Why have you not responded to them? I would have understood if you were busy. Hell, Chanyeol, if you wish to see me not, you should inform me. You cannot leave me worried for days, months, wondering whether you were alive or not.”

“I do not wish to see you,” Chanyeol deadpanned.

“C-Come again?”

“You wished for me to inform you if I wish to no longer see you,” he explained in an annoyingly calm manner. “I wish to no longer see you, Baek Juho.”

Juho heard his heart break into a million pieces as he heard the words that came from Chanyeol’s mouth. The same man that had told him hundreds and thousands of times how much he loved him, who had kissed him while they shared tears and stories, the man who had wormed his way into his heart despite them both knowing the risks.

“I at least deserve a reason, do I not?” he asked, his voice straining from the tears that were threatening to leave his eyes. Chanyeol sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“We simply cannot, Juho,” he snapped. “It is against everything should we remain together.”

“That has never stopped us before,” Juho said in a small voice.

“Maybe it should now.” Juho’s eyes trailed to floor once more, the silent tears now spilling from his eyes and trailing down his cheeks in hot streams. “Are you not tired of hiding ourselves from the outside world?”

“I am not,” Juho replied in between small hiccups. “I have you, I love you, I do not need any other’s validation just to love you.”

“And I you-“ Chanyeol never got the chance to finish his sentence before Juho cut him off.

“Liar,” he said harshly, catching the werewolf off guard. “If you truly love me, you would not tell me that you no longer wish to see me. You would ask me to stay, talk to me regarding your worries. What you are doing is an act of cowardice. So, I refuse to accept your love, for it is not sincere.”

“Juho…” He knew Chanyeol had no words, and though he felt a sense of victory with it, it still pained him that he was going to have to let go of the man that he loved so dearly.

“You are a coward, Park Chanyeol,” he said. “I hope that you find your sincere love one day, but I fear that I do not wish to be that sincere love.” With that, he left the werewolf alone in his house and went back to his own with a heavy heart.

After that day, the two past lovers never crossed paths until a few decades later. Juho had hoped that when they encountered each other once more, they would be hostile with each other if not friendly. Instead, they ended up arguing. They argued the times after as well, and to say that it did not pain him was a lie. He still loved the wolf, would be at his beck and call if ever needed- there had been times before where Chanyeol was stuck in a sticky situation and Juho had to get him out of it- though they never stopped bickering. During their initial meeting after their breakup, they both promised each other to never bring up their past and chose to remain somewhat hostile with each other.

Their arguments became their charm, their dynamic, and Juho hated it. He wanted to be acquaintances that would acknowledge each other in a good manner, instead this was what he got. Thinking to himself now, maybe that was what he deserved. He had broken up with the other rather harshly and maybe this was Chanyeol’s way of getting back at him. Letting out a heavy sigh, he took a detour and made his way to the 24-hour convenient store just a couple of blocks from his place. “I need ice cream,” he muttered under his breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had trouble with the font bUT I FIXED IT YAY anyway this is the first chapter!


	3. Chapter Two

Juho’s eyes carefully scanned the tubs of ice cream that were displayed in the freezer, a childlike glee filling him while he looked at the choices that he had. His eyes landed on two flavors that seemed to pop for him. “Vanilla or cookies and cream,” he muttered under his breath, wondering what would be best.

“I’d pick cookies and cream if I were you,” a voice said over his shoulder, making him jump up in surprise. He was never one to be shocked easily, given his natural predator instincts, but he was caught off guard at a vulnerable moment. Turning around to scowl at the person who had startled him, he was instead met with a tan neck. A certain vein popped on the neck displayed before him and he found himself subconsciously gulping at the thrum of blood travelling in the blood vessel. Juho peeled his eyes away from the neck- more specifically the very loud and very distracting vein- and instead moved up to look at the person- a man- straight in the eyes. Skimming over his facial features, he guessed that the man in front of him was around his age when he had died; he had a bright glow on him but the aura he emitted had a dim edge around it. He had a gentle smile playing on his lips, his round eyes soft and showing the same gentleness his smile held. Juho came to the conclusion that this man was very handsome. He thanked the fact that he was unable to blush.

Clearing his throat, the vampire finally spoke after what he assumed was five minutes. “You’re so tall,” he blurted out. Chuckling- his deep voice vibrated down Juho’s spine- he flashed an even brighter smile.

“And you’re really pale,” he said. “Now that we’ve pointed out the obvious, get the cookies and cream. Vanilla is bleugh.”

“Excuse me, I’ll have you know vanilla is the best flavor out there,” Juho replied, pretending to be offended.

“Not when mint choco exists,” the stranger said. Bringing his fists up in a playful demeanor, Juho scowled.

“Alright, you, me, duel.”

“I’d rather do it in front of Baskin Robbins, thank you very much.” Juho put his fists down and smiled hesitantly.

“You’re fun,” he said. “A man with no taste, but fun.”

“Hey. I recommended you the ice cream.”

“And to spite you, I’m taking vanilla,” Juho said as he grabbed the tub of vanilla ice cream out of the freezer. The man shrugged.

“You’re the one who’s going to have to taste basic,” he said with a grin. Squinting his eyes until they nearly looked like lines drawn on his face, he put out his hand for the man to shake.

“I’m Zuho,” he said.

“Zuho, huh?” the man said with a glance thrown at the hand sticking out for him to grab before he took the handshake. “Cool name. My name’s Rowoon, and you have very cold hands, Zuho.” It was Juho’s turn to shrug.

“I tend to get cold easily,” he explained simply. Rowoon looked dubious of his reasoning for a moment before he decided that he should just go with it.

“You should wear warmer clothes, then,” he said, retracting his hand to shove it down the pockets of his jeans. “Wouldn’t want you getting sick.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, thank you for that.” The two shared an awkward silence, neither wanting to move. Juho felt like he wanted Rowoon to do something, but he was not sure what it was. Ask for his number? Leave him alone? No, he definitely did not want the latter option. It was strange how he felt a strong attraction towards this stranger. Perhaps it was his good looks that enchanted him- which he found was hilarious because it was supposed to be _him_ who should enchant the taller. He thought it would be best if he walked away now because no matter how much he wanted to be entranced by this human’s beauty and humor, he could not entertain that want, that need. He could not afford another heartache. He would rather wonder what could have happened like he always did than be temporarily happy to have it taken away from him. He had felt that before and he was scared to feel it again.

“I should probably go pay for this,” Juho said, making a motion to move towards the cash register only to be stopped by a gentle grip against his wrist by Rowoon.

“Wait,” he said, using his free hand to scratch the back of his neck. “This might sound a bit awkward because I really have never done this, but can I have your number?” Juho blinked at him.

“My… number?” Rowoon nodded, his cheeks dusted light pink from the blush that was forming on his face.

“You’re really cute and you seem fun, and I want to get to know you more. It’s fine if you don’t want to give it to me, I know it might seem weird.” Juho stared up at this giant, baffled by the sudden change in personality. One moment ago, he was goofing around with the vampire, the next he was all shy with pink coloring his cheeks. _Cute_ , the shorter thought to himself. Maybe it would not hurt to try once more? Especially now that Chanyeol was back in the picture, and he had no intentions of falling for the wolf all over again. Juho gave a single nod.

“Give me your phone,” he said. Fishing his phone from his pocket with a glint of joy in his eyes, Rowoon passed the now unlocked phone to the vampire. Juho punched in some numbers before dialing it to prove that he gave the right number, his phone vibrating loudly in his pocket. Rowoon happily took back the phone from him and looked at the number saved, a laugh escaping his lips.

“Well, then, _Not Stranger_ ,” he said. “I’ll text you.”

“I look forward to it,” Juho replied with a grin.

A few more words were shared between him and Rowoon before he had to pay for his ice cream and leave. Juho wanted to stay and talk more, but he feared that the sun might come up at any moment, and he might just have the chance of being exposed so early in their budding friendship. A smile played on his lips as his mind went back to the taller. He had fun, even if it was just a random encounter in a 24-hour convenient store- which was not exactly some place that Juho was expecting to be asked for his number. There was something about Rowoon that he drew him in, wanting to talk to him more and more. Perhaps it was his good looks that enchanted him, or maybe his cute personality. Whatever it was, Juho really wanted to know him more and he hoped that the feeling was mutual.

He happily skipped his way to his unit while gently swinging the bag with his tub of ice cream, coming to a halt when he saw two figures that he recognized all too well. One made his shoulders tense up while the other made him feel relaxed. The way he saw it, he was like a hot mug being filled with an ice-cold drink; the difference in temperature making him crack. Maybe it was not an entirely good idea to say that he was fine with seeing Sehun with Chanyeol, because it did hurt a little, but his brother had looked so happy that he could not find it in himself to say no. Sighing in his head, Juho told himself that he was going to have to bear with it if Sehun really liked the wolf. Not that he could blame the other, he himself had been in that situation before. He just hoped that after centuries, his past lover had changed his mindset.

Purposely ignoring Chanyeol, Juho ran up to Sehun and enveloped him in a bear hug that caused his brother to gasp in surprise. “Sehunnie!” he exclaimed, resting his cheek against the top of the older male’s head.

“Juju,” Sehun gasped again when the younger held onto him tighter. He brought his hand up to Juho’s hair and caressed it lovingly. “Are you okay? You haven’t been this clingy in almost a century.”

Pulling away, Juho frowned. “What do you mean? I’m always clingy.”

“I know, but you’re shy when there’s people around.” Juho looked around, still not looking at Chanyeol who was next to his brother.

“I don’t see anyone, though...?”

“Fuck you, Baek,” Chanyeol hissed.

“Right back at you, Park.” Sehun sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Look, if you want to fight, can you at least tell me why?” he asked.

“I used to date this dumbass,” Juho deadpanned while pointing at Chanyeol. Sehun blinked owlishly in between the two creatures. He merely stared at them with his jaw agape for a good five minutes before he said something.

“You?” he pointed to Juho. “And you?” he pointed Chanyeol. “Dated?!” Both that were mentioned nodded their heads.

“In the early 1910’s,” Chanyeol said to which Juho scoffed.

“Yeah, then this idiot thought we should breakup because he was _tired of hiding_ ,” he explained, doing air quotes for the last part. “What did he expect? People to openly accept us? We were in the 1910’s, we would probably be killed, for fuck’s sake.”

“First of all, stop talking like I’m not here-“

“Sehun, the wind is talking to me.”

“Second, don’t call me an idiot, I’m not-“

“Debatable.”

“And I _was_ tired of hiding.” Juho hummed as he made it seem like he was deep in his thoughts.

“Really? Pretty sure you were just being a coward.”

“No, that was _you_ ,” Chanyeol pointed a finger accusingly at Juho. “You were too scared to tell people we were in a relationship.” At this point, the younger vampire was fuming.

“Yeah, guess it’s a crime to want to be alive and be with my brother and boyfriend. Oh, wait! All that my boyfriend wanted was validation from others, not my love. Well, gosh darn. Maybe I should have told the world about what we had and not only be chased after by the townspeople, but most probably, absolutely high possibility, be burned by my own kind for courting my supposed enemy. Yeah, good plan. Completely fool proof, Loey.”

“Loey?” Sehun asked. Juho turned to glare at his brother this time.

“Really? That’s all that you got from this?” he asked.

“Look, I don’t really have a say in this, Juju, you know that. This is between you and him. I’m just a little hurt that you didn’t tell me about your relationship.” Juho huffed in defeat. He knew he was going to have to sit Sehun down and have a long conversation with him, so he turned to the werewolf that stood next to his brother.

“Can you go home, please?” he asked, his voice close to the border of pleading. “I want to talk with my brother, and I know there’s going to be things that we need to catch up on.” Chanyeol looked like he was about to argue some more, but upon seeing the tiredness in Juho’s eyes, he gave in with a nod.

“Okay,” he sighed. “Have you eaten?” Juho shook his head.

“Didn’t have time.”

“Go eat, then talk. Sehun got you some sushi, I know you like them.” Hearing that made Juho’s heart clench. It was always like this; they would fight so bad and sometimes were on the brink of throwing punches at each other, but then Chanyeol would be so soft and patient with him whenever he needed gentleness. It made it hard for the vampire to hate him, and God knew how much he wished the hate card would be an option on the table.

“Park, please,” he was begging now. _Don’t make this hard for me_ , his inner voice screamed. Chanyeol turned to Sehun and smiled before turning on his heel and walking away. Sighing, Juho looked at Sehun and smiled widely.

“You got me sushi?” he asked while latching himself on the shorter vampire’s arm, pulling his puppy eyes that he knew his brother could never resist. Sehun nodded, a fond look on his face.

“Come on, let’s eat,” he said, dragging Juho to their home.

Juho listened intently as Sehun, who was sat opposite him, fill him in on his date while they shared the sushi. The two of them had gone on a walk after Chanyeol took him to a nearby Japanese restaurant, small talks shared in between their tranquil stroll. “No wonder he knew that we eat normal food,” Sehun suddenly said. “Most of those assholes think that all we consume is blood. Like, bitch, you’d probably get offended if I talk about how you start a howling chain when one of you starts like those stereotypical stories they have.” He was flailing his chopsticks now, looking like he was ready to stab someone with them. Juho hummed.

“It’s true, though,” he said, shoving another California roll in his mouth. Sehun’s jaw dropped as his shoulders started shaking.

“No way.”

“Yes way,” Juho said, tucking his food in his cheek while he chewed on it slowly. “One time, I was staying at Loey’s and a dog started howling at midnight. He actually howled back.” Sehun spat out the cola that he was drinking, spraying their coffee table with the carbonated drink. He ended up in a laughing fit. Juho scrunched up his face in disgust while groaning at the mess that was made.

“Hunnie,” he whined. “You’re lucky it didn’t get on me, if not I would’ve whooped your ass.”

Wiping a tear away from his eye, Sehun hiccupped in between fits of laughter. “Did he actually?” he finally asked after taking a breather. Juho shook his head, smiling at how easily entertained his brother was.

“He did,” he said. “Now please clean this up, it’s so gross.” Sehun grinned and got up to get a cloth to wipe the soon to be sticky table. As he wiped the mess made, he asked Juho a question in the soft tone that he always used when he wanted to ask his brother something important.

“Why didn’t you tell me, Juju?” he asked. Juho knew what he was asking about and could only remain quiet as an answer, his gaze fixed to the floor. He felt like how they were when they were kids, especially when Juho first came to the Oh residence.

He was 12 years old when he got adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Oh, and though the other kids told him how lucky he was to be adopted by one of the most important people in their town, Juho felt terrified. He wondered if he would be good enough for this family, if they would really accept him without making him feel like he was just another slave, if they would treat him like he was their own. It was something that a 12-year-old should not be thinking of, but no one could blame him after he was treated so harshly by his previous family who held a status lower than the Oh family. The scars that were embedded on his body were proof of his harsh treatment the entire time he was there.

He was quiet for the first week of staying with his new family, only responding with a nod or a slight head shake when asked questions. The older Oh brother tried making small talk with him before, but gave up in the end when he could not take the responses. “Why keep your mouth when you refuse to speak?” he had muttered under his breath while walking away after trying to talk to the soon-to-be teenager for the last time. “I should see that you have it sewn shut.” Juho paled upon hearing that and dashed out of the room, not caring that he had pushed past the younger brother.

Juho found himself crouched in one of the crooks of the hedge maze the house had, hot tears streaming down his face. He was shaking now, fear enveloping him as he wondered if the boy was really going to sew his mouth shut. He had to bite his lower lip to stop the sobs that were threatening to leave his mouth the moment he heard footsteps near him. “Juho?” he heard a voice that sounded like the younger Oh sibling- Sehun, if he was not mistaken- calling out for him. “Juho, are you here?” The adopted boy wanted to believe that there was worry in the voice that was searching for him, but he knew better than to indulge himself in a foolish thought.

He froze momentarily when he heard the footsteps coming closer. Juho let the moment pass quickly before he was on his feet to get ready to run again. “Juho!” Sehun exclaimed when he saw the boy running. Juho’s heart was pounding when he felt the presence of the older boy growing stronger. Soon, he felt a hand wrap around his wrist to stop him, to which he flinched upon the touch. Whimpering, he held back more tears that were stinging the back of his eyes. He refused to look at the young Oh even though he had kindly asked him to.

“Why did you run?” Sehun asked after giving up on getting him to turn around. Juho looked down at the grass beneath him, his words stuck in his throat along with the sob that was within him. He suddenly saw another pair of feet besides his, and he knew that Sehun had moved to face him. “Juho,” the older said in the gentlest tone that he’s ever heard. He caressed Juho’s wrist with such care that made the younger boy choke up. “I will not hurt you, but you must tell me what is hurting you.” That did it for him. As soon as he heard that, Juho instantly burst into tears.

“H-He said he wished to have my mouth sewn shut,” he hiccupped in between his loud sobs. Sehun carefully pulled him into a hug, rubbing small circles on his back.

“Was it my brother?” he asked in a hushed tone. Juho nodded his head, burying his face in the taller boy’s chest. Sehun mentally pictured himself cursing at his brother- and maybe throwing a few punches for scaring the young boy.

“I-I promise I will be on my best behaviour, I will try to answer with my words more, but _please_.” Sehun’s hands gently pet the young boy’s dark locks of hair, hushing him and giving him comforting words to calm his intense crying.

“You need not say anything if you cannot, or do not want to,” Sehun said with reassurance. “As for my brother, I shall have a word with him.” Juho frantically shook his head against the older.

“Sehun, please,” he begged. “Please.” Sehun was taken aback by the fact that Juho knew his name, but understood his request very well. Sighing, he held the boy closer while still caressing his hair.

“Very well,” he muttered. “I will not talk to him, but can I tell mother and father?” Another shake of dark hair. “Will you at the very least tell me when something is bothering you, please? I promise I will protect you, from anything and everything.” No response came from the smaller. Sehun was almost convinced that Juho had accidentally dozed off in midst of his crying, but then the younger spoke up.

“Promise?” he asked in a small voice.

“I promise.”

True to his word, Sehun protected Juho in whatever situation he was in, making sure to advise him if he had made a mistake. As a way to show his appreciation towards the boy that he had grown to consider as his own brother, he made it his mission to protect the other the same way Sehun had. Perhaps it was because they were both hell-bent on protecting each other that they were in this state now. It upset them both at first when they were both turned, but after some time, they figured that as long as they had each other, they were going to be fine.

“Juho,” Sehun’s voice pulled him out of the memory, making him look at his brother. Sehun had put down the cloth and was now kneeling by the coffee table, looking at Juho to get an answer from him. Crouching with a smile, Juho pulled the older in a warm hug. Sehun furrowed his eyebrows in confusion but returned the hug nonetheless.

“I didn’t want to worry you,” he explained, hooking his chin on Sehun’s shoulder. “And it was too dangerous for you to know. I already knew what I was risking when I decided to be with Chanyeol, but I didn’t want you to risk everything for me. They could’ve hurt you too if you knew about my relationship, you know that. It was better if you didn’t know.” Sehun scoffed.

“That’s stupid, Ju,” he said. “I’m your brother, of course I’m going to risk everything for you.”

“I know, dumbass. And I’m sorry for that, for keeping such a big secret from you.” Sighing, Sehun tightened his hold on his brother.

“Just promise me you won’t keep anymore secretes from me.”

“I promise.”

_Heavy panting. That was what Juho heard in his ear. The sound was so loud that it seemed like there was someone breathing down his neck, but he was met with no one when he looked over his shoulder. Panic started flooding him when his body started moving on its own through the dark warehouse that he was somehow in, him having no control over it. The panting got louder and was now accompanied by moans of pain. By now, Juho was starting to feel fear. His mind started wandering in places that he refused to go into. If he was not already pale as it is, he would definitely be pale now when he saw the sight that was right in front of him. Chanyeol was limp on the cold concrete, blood pooling around his chest. The grey floor was starting to be coloured red with every second that passed, and Juho wanted to move to the werewolf and help him. His brain started going haywire when he realized the older was not healing himself, or rather he could not. He tried moving his body, but it was like something was wrapped around his entire self and holding him back from cradling his past lover, from holding him close in his final moments. “Juho,” he heard the wolf groan. He tried once more to move, but froze immediately when he saw Chanyeol’s body being slashed into ribbons before his very eyes._

“Chanyeol!” Juho screamed, sitting up on his bed. Beads of sweat trickled down his neck while his cheeks were stained with tears. In under a minute, his bedroom door was harshly pushed open by Sehun.

“Juho?” he asked with sleepy eyes but worry still laced in his tone.

“Sehun,” Juho cried, his voice cracking at just his brother’s name. That woke Sehun up just enough to crawl onto the taller male’s bed and keep the other snug in his arms. Juho started sobbing while continuously calling out for Chanyeol as if his name was a chant.


	4. Chapter Three

“Have you called him yet?”

“Yes.”

“What did he say?”

“He said he’s at home.”

“Is he okay?”

“Juju,” Sehun sighed. “He’s fine. He’s just watching TV at home.” Juho chewed on his lower lip, a small “sorry” slipping past his lips. It had been a week since he had dreamt of Chanyeol’s death, and every day he grew even more worried of the wolf- though he would never openly admit it, that much Sehun knew. He had gotten his brother to check up on Chanyeol every day just to ensure that he was safe.

“What I don’t get is,” Sehun said, waving his phone around mindlessly. “Why did you dream that? I thought you haven’t had those kinds of dreams in decades.” Juho sighed.

“I don’t know, Hunnie,” Juho admitted. “I mean, I wish I knew why, or at least knew what’s the cause of them dying so I can stop it from happening, but hey! maybe that’s why the person put this curse on me. I see my loved ones dying but I never know how or why, at least not until I investigate it.” He huffed as he sank into their couch. Sehun watched sadly as his brother furrowed his brows while biting his lower lip with a dazed expression on his face, an indication that he was just about to cry at any moment.

“Do you want to come with?” Sehun asked, to which Juho hummed in confusion. “To the club. Do you want to come with tonight? You haven’t been there all week.” The younger shook his head.

“I don’t feel like going,” he said before scratching the back of his neck shyly. “Plus, Rowoon said he wanted to call me.” Sehun grinned cheekily.

“Alright, I’ll get going then. Have fun calling your boyfriend.” He heard Juho yelling “He’s not my boyfriend!” as he closed the door to their unit. Smiling, he started to make his way to his workplace. Well, he was going to loiter around the bar and maybe entertain a few people that try to hit on him, no intentions of working whatsoever. Humming happily, he walked down the dark streets that were illuminated poorly by the dying street lights. Sehun made a mental note to inform someone about them.

After walking for some time, he felt himself bumping into someone smaller than him in the dimmed area. He turned and apologized to the person when the other came to a halt next to him. “Inseong,” the person- a man based on his voice- said in a deep, monotonous voice. Sehun jumped a little at the tone, confused by the name.

“I’m sorry, sir,” he said. “But I think you have the wrong person.” The man now looked at him, glared actually- Sehun felt like he was about to be swallowed alive at any moment- with dark eyes. The shadowy streets made it hard for Sehun to see the man’s face, but the light managed to illuminate the stare. Not much scared Sehun- especially not a mortal- he prided himself in being braver than his brother that he always protected, but the stare was so intense that the vampire felt like he would rather dig a whole and be dead again rather than having to go through this.

“Kim Inseong,” the man said again. “Remember that name.”

“Okay,” Sehun said, trying his best to make sure his voice would not crack. He failed. “Instead of being creepy like this, how about you tell me why I should remember his name.” The man shook his head.

“It’s not my place,” he said.

“Your name, maybe?”

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you that, Oh Sehun.” Sehun froze at the mention of his name. He wanted to ask how did the man know his name, but the other had already sprinted off. Shuddering, Sehun felt a shiver go down his spine.

“I need a drink,” he muttered to himself.

Arriving at his club, he made a beeline towards the bar and immediately grabbed a bottle of beer, popping it open and gulping it down. “Woah, boss,” the bartender- Minseok, if his memory treated him well- said, shocked by his employer’s sudden action. “Are you okay?”

“Damn, Sehun. You’re drinking that like you’re drinking water.” Sehun recognized that voice that sounded really close and groaned inwardly, resting his head against the bar counter.

“Shut up, Junmyeon,” he muttered. He lifted his head momentarily to ask “What’s a professor doing here on a school night?” before letting it bang painfully against the counter. Raising his head, he rubbed the sore part that had made contact with the hard surface. Junmyeon cocked an eyebrow questioningly.

“Oh Sehun,” he started. “You do know that it’s Friday, right?” He took a swing of the remaining drink in his glass, his eyes lingering on the vampire with a hint of amusement glistening in them. Sehun mentally counted back the days and came to the conclusion that the professor was, in fact, right. Letting out a disgruntled “oh yeah”, he stood up properly to look at the man that had been talking to him.

“What’s up?” Junmyeon asked, patting the seat next to him and motioning Sehun to sit next to him. The latter grunted but put up no fight as he sat down next to the shorter man. “Are you okay? You don’t drink that fast unless something happened.” Sehun shrugged nervously, his eyes on his hands that were placed on the counter.

“It’s nothing, really,” he mumbled. Junmyeon stared at him with an incredulous look painted on his face.

“Sehun,” he said. “I’ve known you for almost five years and I can tell something’s not right.” Sehun winced at the statement. Had it really been five years? He refused to believe that, not when Junmyeon looked like he had not aged a day.

“I-“ he hesitated, trapping his lower lip in between his teeth, similar to his brother’s habit. Aside from Juho, Junmyeon was the only other person that he had told his problems to. Though they have only known each other for five years like Junmyeon had said, there was something safe about the professor that made him feel secure in sharing his secrets.

A hand on his head made him stiffen for a minute before relaxing into the touch, gentle fingers stroking his hair. “You know you can tell me anything, right? I mean, I even know the time you put a d-“ Junmyeon did not get to finish the sentence before Sehun was cutting him off, eyes wide and panicking.

“Junmyeon,” he gasped. The man in question let out a hearty laugh, throwing his head back while still caressing the soft locks that slotted in between his fingers. Sehun was glad that he was physically unable to blush, because if not, he knew that his face would be burning bright red like a fire hydrant.

“You don’t even know what I wanted to say.”

“Yes, I do! Don’t you dare say it now. You promised it would stay between the both of us.”

“And it’s still that way. You know I won’t tell anyone.” The tone the man had was a gentle one, a way to comfort him, and Sehun knew he could trust him. He had trusted him multiple times before, another time would not hurt.

“I…” A sigh. “Something happened on my way here, and I guess I’m a little shaken up from it.” The hand that was patting his hair paused for a split second before it went back to stroking the strands of hair gently.

“Do you want to talk about it? I know that not much scares you, so this must have been something. You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to.” Sehun felt something tug inside of him. Junmyeon was kind, had always been and the vampire got the most special kindness out of them all. It was never pity kindness, Sehun had gone through enough of that to know when someone was doing it out of pity or out of sincerity, and Junmyeon had proven to him many times that he was the latter. If he used his age when he died, Junmyeon would be older than him by a good three years. The thought always lingered in his mind whenever the man was being so kind and brotherly to him. He felt grateful that he could finally feel what it was like to have an older brother that would look after him- his blood brother was always an ass to both him and Juho due to the fact that Sehun would always protect the youngest of them three.

“I want to tell you,” he finally said, his voice cracking. Junmyeon nodded before looking at Sehun’s employee.

“Minseok, can you get some water for him, please?” he asked, to which the other responded with a “Sure, Junmyeon” before grabbing a bottle of water from under the counter and passing it to his employer. Sehun showed his gratitude by smiling and offering a small thanks. Junmyeon waited patiently as the other gulped down every drop of water that was in the bottle.

“Your poor bladder,” he chuckled.

“My bladder can go fuck itself,” Sehun retorted, taking a deep breath to ready himself. “It’s… not something that big, really. It seems kind of stupid that I got so scared from this. You’ll probably think I’m stupid and-“

“Sehun,” Junmyeon firmly pressed at his name. “I’m not going to think that you’re stupid. Like I said, not much scares you, so for you to be like this means it was bad. So, come on. Tell Uncle Junmyeon your problems.” Sehun scrunched up in disgust.

“Please, never call yourself that again.” Another laugh came from Junmyeon before silence fell upon them. “I bumped into someone,” the vampire said, making Junmyeon perk up. He hummed as an encouragement for the other to continue his story.

“I bumped into someone and he said some guy’s name. Kim Lonsong? Kim Inseong? Something around that.” The way Junmyeon tensed up beside him completely flew over his head as he went back to his story, abandoning the name of the mystery man. “Anyway, he told me this guy’s name and I thought he got the wrong person. So, me, being the saviour of awkward situations, told him that he got the wrong guy. But then this dude fucking glares at me, and usually I’d pick a fight with people if they glared at me, but it felt like this… freaky dude was ready to suck the life out of me.

And he kept on insisting that I remember the name so I was like _“well at least tell me why do I need to remember some random dude’s name”_ and he was all mysterious and freaky saying shit like _“it’s not my place to tell you”._ Bitch, do I look like I fucking care if you’ll get into trouble for saying shit? That’s what you get for telling a random hot guy to remember a name that doesn’t have anything to do with me.

So, I asked for his name and instead, he said my name. Yeah, let’s just ask this dude to remember a name and then scare him by saying his name. I wanted to ask him from where he knew my name, but the little bitch face had run away.” Junmyeon remained quiet the entire time Sehun did his storytelling, nodding a couple of times to agree with him.

“That’s actually really fucking creepy,” the professor said after he was sure that Sehun was done with his story. “I can understand why you were freaked out.” Sehun nodded his head vigorously in a childlike manner. He pulled away the other’s hand to Junmyeon’s confusion only to rest his head against the shorter man’s shoulder.

“It’s been such a stressful week,” he mumbled, sleep threatening to take over him. “I don’t know what to do anymore, Junjun, and the thing that happened just now just drove me over the edge.”

“Well,” Junmyeon started, putting his cheek on the top of Sehun’s head, making them close. Sehun felt comfortable like this. “Uncle Junjun is here, so don’t worry.” The vampire’s head instantly shot up and caused them both to knock their heads together, both men groaning in pain.

“You idiot!” Sehun exclaimed despite the groan that was still settling in him.

“Me?!” Junmyeon gasped. “You’re the one who lifted your head, you brat.”

“That’s because you called yourself Uncle Junjun and that’s fucking disgusting.”

“Why? Do you have the hots for me and don’t want to end up dating your uncle?”

“Fuck no, I’m up for handling you and your uncle kink.”

“It’s not a kink!” Junmyeon hissed. “You can’t just say that in public.”

“But you keep on calling yourself my uncle!”

“I just said uncle in general!” Sehun put up his hands defensively.

“Hey, I’m not kink-shaming anyone. I’m just saying that you shouldn’t involve me in that kink of yours.” Junmyeon scoffed.

“Please, if you knew what my kink is, you’d definitely want to be a part of it.” Silence fell upon them both. _Ah, shit,_ Sehun thought internally. _This situation again._ He knew he should not have brought up the kink joke because it was bound to end up like this. They would always joke around and somehow, they insert something sexual in the conversation, and they just end up shutting up. They were aware that it was best that they stop this habit of theirs, but every sentence always stumbled to this. The good- or could Sehun say weird- thing was that every encounter or meet up they had after the awkwardness held no tension. It should probably concern Sehun, but he had grown too comfortable with Junmyeon that he did not dare to bring it up.

The gears in his mind were probably too loud because Junmyeon gave his thigh a light pat. “You should go home, Hunnie,” he said. “I know how stupid you end up being when you’re stressed, so I need you to cool down for a few days.”

“But the place-“ Sehun was about to protest but was stopped by the glare that Junmyeon threw his way.

“Oh Sehun,” he said sternly. “I can take care of it if you want to. I’ve done it before, just tell me if you want me to.”

“I-“ The gaze Junmyeon had on him was intense, and he knew there was no way he could get out of this. He knew very well that the man would press him until he got enough rest. A sigh escaped his lips. “Okay. I’ll leave the place to you, but just over the weekend because I know you have school and I don’t want to burden you.” Junmyeon jutted out his lower lip in a pout.

“You make it seem like I’m still in high school,” he whined.

“You’d probably be the nerd that has some secret like you’re actually a Greek God.”

“So, you’re saying I’m potentially dangerous.”

“I’m saying you’re hot, Jun.” A blush crept up Junmyeon’s neck. _That’s new,_ Sehun thought. _And very distracting. Fuck, his neck looks hot._

“Not all Greek Gods look hot, Hunnie.”

“Well, then you’re one of the hot ones.” _Sehun, stop! That’s your best friend, and you have Chanyeol, for fuck’s sake._ But who was he kidding, though? He knew the wolf had unresolved feelings for his brother, and vice versa. The way they argued said volumes of the affection that they still held for each other. He held no grudge against his brother for that. He knew it was not something that either of them could control, and it was obvious that Juho was trying his best to move on now that Chanyeol was back in his life.

“I’ll go now,” he said mostly to himself, dragging himself out of that thought. The professor hummed.

“Say hi to Juho for me.”

“I will. Have fun taking care of some drunkards.” Junmyeon threw a light “fuck you” his way just as he was about to leave.

“Juho, I’m back,” Sehun called out for his brother the second he closed the door behind him. Peeling his jacket off him, he neatly placed it next to Juho’s hoodie on the coat rack by the door. He still wondered why his brother had put the piece of clothing there.

“Sehun?” Juho said, peeking his head from their small kitchen space. “What’re you doing back so early?”

“Junmyeon forced me to head back since I was stressed out. He says hi, by the way,” he casually explained as he dropped his phone the coffee table in their living room, plopping himself face first on the couch.

 _“Who’s Sehun?”_ he heard someone ask, making his ears perk up. Instantly sitting up, he looked in the direction of the kitchen where he saw Juho’s phone resting on the countertop. With a smirk playing on his lips, he swung his feet off the couch and moved to the kitchen despite his brother’s protests. He ignored Juho’s empty threats and sat himself down on the kitchen stool, resting his head in his hands as he looked down to see the caller ID.

“Hello there, I’m Zuho’s brother, Sehun,” he said cheerfully. “You must be Rowoon. I’ve heard a lot about you.” A deep chuckle could be heard on the other end while Juho facepalmed next to him.

 _“All good things I hope,”_ the recipient replied.

“Oh, they’re all good things indeed. Quite interesting, too, if I might add.” That seemed to pique Rowoon’s interest.

 _“Oh? What did he say?”_ Sehun was about to answer the man but the phone was quickly snatched by Juho who immediately turned off the speaker phone. The older vampire let out a hearty laugh.

“I’m sorry about that, Rowoon,” Juho said into the phone bashfully. Rowoon must have asked what he had told his brother because Juho’s usual almond shaped eyes grew wide in an instant. “I-I can’t just tell you!” Sehun watched his brother’s facial expressions carefully, interested in the way a million emotions seemed to mix and be painted on his face. A pout appeared on his face near the end of the conversation and Sehun assumed that Rowoon had told him to hang up.

“Alright,” Juho said in a small voice. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Woonie, no. I’m not-! I’m hanging up now. Okay, bye!” Sighing, Juho sat next to Sehun while laying his head on the counter.

“What was that about?” Sehun asked. The younger lazily flailed his arm, dismissing the question.

“Doesn’t matter,” he said, drawling his words. “What about you? Was Junmyeon at the place? What happened? Junmyeon isn’t one to send you home unless something happened to you.” Sehun laid his head on the counter, mirroring his brother’s actions.

“Damn, are you guys mind readers or something?” he joked. “Jun did the same thing when I made it to the club.”

“It’s because we know you, and I know you’re trying to change the topic. You can’t escape the question, Hunnie, you have to tell me.” With a groan, he reluctantly retold his story the same way he did with Junmyeon, only with more cursing and frustration. Juho listened intently, his reaction similar to Junmyeon’s, only he had a few inputs as well that made the storytelling a lot longer.

“How did Jun manage to convince you, anyways?” Juho asked while he let Sehun card his fingers through his hair that was starting to grow just below his ear. “You must have put up a fight.”

“Well, not really,” Sehun admitted. Juho arched an eyebrow curiously.

“What did you do this time?”

“Why are you always so quick to assume it’s me?! It could be Jun who messed up. Maybe he’s the one that said some stuff that somehow got them in an awkward situation and he should probably stop but he doesn’t want to.” Juho groaned.

“Oh my God, Sehun. Again?”

“In my defence, he kept on calling himself Uncle Junjun.” Juho sat up, his face twisting into a disgusted look.

“Dude, that’s even worse!”

“It’s like having a daddy kink.” Sehun was laughing now at his brother’s facial expression, taking pleasure in the horror that was displayed.

“No, it’s not! God, you’re the worst.”

“You still love me anyways.” Juho groaned once more, burying his face in his hands.

“Shut up, shut up. Oh my God, I need to take a walk.” The younger of the two got up from his seat and pocketed his phone as he grabbed his hoodie that was hanging on the coat rack.

“Do you want me to come with?” Sehun asked, to which Juho waved him off dismissively.

“Junmyeon sent you home to rest, not for you to follow me to wherever the fuck it is that I might end up going.” He pointed his index finger at his brother, causing the older to jump in surprise. “And I can take care of myself.”

“Are you sure?” Juho narrowed his eyes in a threatening way. Sehun sighed defeatedly. “Alright. Call me if anything happens.”

“I will. See ya.” Juho waved at his brother as he stepped out of the house, closing the door behind him. As soon as the younger was away, Sehun ran to the couch and flopped on his belly with a content sigh.

“Let’s have some quality me time,” he muttered to no one.

Perhaps his “me time” was actually a waste of time, because in all honesty, Sehun was bored. He had surfed through the channels on their television for the umpteenth time to come across absolutely nothing- though he would have guessed that, since it was in the dead of the night. The games on his phone brought him no entertainment- except for a couple of them, but he knew if he started playing them, he would end up not sleeping. He was constantly checking the time on his phone at this point; five minutes, another five, and another. When he had checked it for the 13th time and a little over an hour had passed, he was bored out of his mind.

“When is Juju coming back,” he groaned to himself, throwing his body over the couch’s armrest as a way to express his boredom. “Baby brother, come back, I’m bored.” Not even five minutes after his little rambling, his phone started blasting his annoying ringtone that Juho had been begging him to change because it was so awkward when it rang in the shopping mall that one time. He jolted in surprise and landed on the ground with a thud, moaning at the pain that was spreading down his back. Sehun grabbed his phone and checked the caller ID before answering it. Despite the pain that he felt in his back, he managed to cheerfully greet his brother with a “Baby brother!” The smile that was forming on his face slipped when he heard Juho sobbing on the other end.

 _“Hunnie, can you come to the police station?”_ Juho tried to keep his voice from cracking. _“Please, Sehunnie, I’m scared. I don’t know what to do. Oh my God, Sehunnie. Hunnie, I’m scared.”_ Quickly scrambling to his feet, he pulled his jacket that he had hung earlier. He stumbled on his own feet as he struggled with putting on his jacket while running out of his and Juho’s house.

“Fuck,” he cursed as he tripped on a step in which he quickly regained composure before he could tumble down the stairs. “Juju, sweetie, I need you to breathe. Can you breathe for Hunnie, Juju? Hmm?”

 _“Hunnie, I-“_ Another sob broke free and it took everything in Sehun to not cry then and there. He needed to get to his brother, fast. But he needed Juho to calm down first to avoid a panic attack.

“Juju, breathe.” He made a demonstration of his breathing and his brother followed suit. “I’m almost there, Hunnie is almost there, but I need you to calm down and explain to me what happened. Can you do that for me?”

 _“I- I can,”_ Juho stammered in between his crying.

“Okay, slowly tell me what happened.”

 _“Hunnie, Chanyeol’s dead. He’s dead.”_ Sehun’s tracks came to a halt in the middle of the road, all thoughts gone from his mind. He could not wrap his head around the words that Juho had said. Chanyeol was gone. The man that had been laughing with him on the phone just a few hours ago, was dead. Sehun felt like dropping to his knees there and then, and he probably would have if a hand had not pulled him away from the street, the sound of someone honking their horn ringing in his ears. His mind resurfaced as he blinked owlishly at his saviour. Standing across from him was Junmyeon who was now scanning his face worriedly.

“Are you okay?” Dazedly, Sehun nodded.

 _“Hunnie, are you okay?!”_ he heard Juho’s voice on the other line call out for him.

“I-I’m fine, Juju,” he stuttered, shock still coursing through him. Was it shock over Chanyeol’s death? Was it the shock from his near second death? Or was it that Junmyeon had saved him? He was not sure. What he did know was that he wanted to get to Juho. “I’m almost there, can you hold in a little longer?”

“Where are you going?” Junmyeon asked with concern, grasp still strong on Sehun’s wrist.

“The police station,” Sehun replied quickly.

“I’m coming with you.”

“But-“

“ _Oh Sehun,_ ” Junmyeon said with a firm tone. “You are clearly not in your right mind, and you need to get to your brother in one piece. So, yes, I’m going with you.” Sehun furrowed his brows but put up no fight. Instead, he let the professor trail beside him while the other still had a secure grip on him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sooooo it was getting too wholesome up in here but hey ! junmyeon is here now ! ahah. i guess now is where it really starts


	5. Chapter Four

The first thing that Sehun did the second that he arrived at the police station was to free himself from Junmyeon’s grip so that he could find Juho. His eyes anxiously scanned the space and his line of vision eventually landed on his brother that was seated across an officer, his phone tight in his grip. “Juho,” he breathed, speed walking to the younger.

“Sehun,” Juho croaked. Sehun sat himself down next to the shaking vampire, holding him close to calm his tears that were about to spill once more. The taller of the two managed to look small when he held onto Sehun tightly, fear still in his body. The police officer sitting across the both of them eyed the situation carefully, his eyes growing wide as he looked past Sehun.

“Junmyeon?” the officer called out for Sehun’s companion. “What are you doing here?” Sehun looked at the professor in question, not quite understanding what was going on. The police officer knew Junmyeon? That would make sense, actually. Junmyeon knew a lot of people, a cop would not be a surprise.

“Yixing is my housemate,” Junmyeon explained when he saw the puzzled look on the vampire’s face.

“I didn’t know you have a housemate,” Sehun mumbled.

“There’s a lot of things that you don’t know about me, Sehun,” Junmyeon said. Sehun winced at the way the man said his name. It sounded cold and distant, very unlike Junmyeon. The officer, Yixing, watched them both curiously. A soft sniffle that came from Juho broke the unknown tension that was starting in the room. Both Sehun and Junmyeon immediately turned their attention to the vampire that was silently sobbing in his seat. They looked with concern in their eyes as Junmyeon gently stroked Juho’s hair while Sehun had a comforting hold on his brother’s hand.

“Are you okay?” Sehun slowly asked. Juho’s entire body shook, him wanting to nod to say that he was fine, but at the same time he really was not.

“What happened?” Junmyeon had a hint of curiosity in his voice but Sehun could hear the worry that was laced in it.

“Well,” Yixing sighed. “He hasn’t said much after he called us. All that he said was that he was on a walk when he saw the body in a tree.” Juho buried his face in the crook of Sehun’s neck and started sobbing again when he heard what Yixing said.

“He’s gone,” he hiccuped. “Chanyeol’s gone. Hunnie, what do I do? He’s gone.” Sehun saw Junmyeon flinching in the corner of his eye but brushed it off as an eye trick. Instead of focusing on that, he rubbed small soothing circles on Juho’s back.

“Did you know the deceased?” Yixing asked to which Sehun nodded.

“We’re friends with him,” Sehun explained, not wanting- not _ready_ \- to use the past tense when talking about Chanyeol. “What happened? I was talking to him just fine a few hours ago.”

“We’re not sure yet. We closed off the area for now, so you can’t take your walks there anymore.” Juho nodded numbly against his brother. Sehun continued to hold Juho close to him, listening to Yixing explain that both of them might have to come in for questioning in a few days. They assured the officer that they would give him their full cooperation while they went through it. Juho had started dozing off on him, so he asked the officer if it was alright if they headed home now. Yixing nodded.

“I’m taking you guys home,” Junmyeon said.

“It’s fine, Jun,” Sehun insisted.

“That wasn’t an offer, Sehun,” the other countered. “It’s an order. I’m taking you guys home, and that’s final, do you understand?” Sehun furrowed his brows but nodded. “Good. We’ll be going now, Yixing.”

“Alright,” the officer said with a smile. “Make sure you take care of your boyfriend.” Junmyeon rolled his eyes at his housemate.

“Not every guy that I take care of is my boyfriend.”

“No, but you want this one to be.” The crease between Sehun’s eyebrows deepened as he tried deciphering what the cop meant. What did he mean by Junmyeon wanting this one to be? Was he talking about wanting Sehun to be his boyfriend? He mentally laughed at that train of thought, unable to accept the possibility of that happening. He had been friends with the man for years now. If the professor was in any way interested in him, he would have shown Sehun signs of it, right? His brain was a little slow right now, so he opted on thinking about the words when his mind was clear of all the complications that he had at the moment. He could hear Junmyeon’s voice faint in the back of his mind, saying something to the man seated opposite him, but he was too immersed in holding Juho close to him. A hand lightly tapped his shoulder and he looked up to see Junmyeon looking down at him with a gentle smile. Sehun hated how even in a time like this he could pay attention on how the man was glowing brightly. His brain was definitely a confusing one and he could not wait to sleep off all of the jumbled-up knots that he called thoughts.

“Let’s go,” Junmyeon said, to which Sehun nodded numbly. He carefully shook Juho to wake the younger from his sleep.

The ride back to their place was quiet, only the sound of Juho’s quiet snores and the concerning clatter that came from the cab’s air conditioner filling the vehicle. Sehun was seated at the back with his brother while Junmyeon had sat in the front. “You need the space to rest,” he had said to the vampire. In all honesty, he was fatigued. The day had been a very complicated and rough day for him, and he was in the state of not knowing what to do. If Junmyeon hadn’t been there for him- both times, might he add- he would probably in a worse condition. He looked down at his brother that had laid his head on the older one’s shoulder, soft puffs of air escaping his lips. Sehun sighed, carding his fingers through Juho’s hair. The younger looked happy when he was on the phone with Rowoon earlier, and it pained him to see Juho’s eyes now puffy from all the crying he had done. He knew that despite all the bickering Juho and Chanyeol had done, they both cared very deeply about each other.

“It must have broken him into pieces when he saw that earlier,” Sehun muttered to himself, but Junmyeon heard his monologue.

“Hmm?” he hummed in confusion.

“Juho,” Sehun started. “It must have hurt him so much when he saw Chanyeol just now. Between him and I, Juho was a lot closer to Chanyeol than I was. I can’t imagine how he must be feeling right now. My poor baby.” Junmyeon looked like he was about to say something- a rebuttal, maybe- but the cab driver beat him to it, telling them that they had made it to their place. The professor thanked the man behind the wheel after paying for their cab fare, Sehun holding up a very sleepy Juho. “Do you want to come up?” Sehun offered just as he was about to head up to his place with Juho. Junmyeon visibly contemplated for a moment, Sehun reassuring him that he was not pressured to come to their home if he did not want to.

“It’s not that,” Junmyeon said, face flush for some reason. “It’s…” Sehun arched his head to the side, looking at the man in wonder.

“You’ve been to our place before,” he said. “But like I said, Jun, you don’t have to come up if you don’t want to.” The tips of Junmyeon’s ears seemed to burn and his glasses that were perched on the bridge of his nose slowly slid down as he looked at his feet.

“Shut up, don’t say another word,” Junmyeon mumbled, already walking towards the elevator to press the floor where Juho and Sehun resided. “Not another word out of you, I don’t want that.”

“What did I do?!”

“That’s a word, shut up.” Sehun huffed in annoyance whereas Juho looked uninterested in whatever it was that was happening, his eyes droopy with sleep that was still flooding him.

They managed to get Juho in his bed without him stumbling on his feet. When Sehun was sure that his brother was asleep, he walked back to the living room where Junmyeon was sprawled across their couch. His glasses were askew and his lips slightly parted, his eyes threatening to close at any moment. Now that Sehun noticed, the man looked soft with his attire, even softer now with sleep trying to overtake him. He had thrown on a sheep sweater vest- that looked absolutely ridiculous, yet he managed to look good in it- over a plain white shirt, perfect for the chilly autumn day. The shirt was previously tucked into his dark trousers was now crumpled from all the tugging that he had done to make himself comfortable.

“Cute,” Sehun said, startling the man that was just about to doze off.

“Sehun,” Junmyeon called out for him sleepily, looking for his friend in between his half-lidded eyes. Sehun watched in amusement as he scrambled to sit up properly. The vampire moved to sit down next to him, looking at him gently before taking the glasses off the smaller man’s nose. He ran a hand through the man’s hair like he had done with his brother earlier, a tired smile playing on his lips.

“What are you doing?” the professor asked, his face crumpling into a look of confusion.

“Aren’t you tired? You should sleep.” Sehun deliberately avoided the question and the both of them knew it. Junmyeon seemed to have little energy to ask or even to argue but he shook his head as a way to tell Sehun that he was not sleepy. Silence passed them both as Sehun continued to pat his friend that was starting to lull to sleep.

“What about you?” Junmyeon asked after some time, turning to look at the taller.

“I’m not tired, and I can just sleep-“ Sehun was cut off before he could finish his sentence.

“Not that. I meant about earlier. What about you?”

“What do you mean?” Junmyeon pressed his lips into a thin line before hesitantly wrapping his arms around the taller man’s waist. Sehun laughed while returning the embrace, hand still lazily running through the luscious locks of hair. The professor had acted so tough earlier with the way he was ready to protect both him and his brother that he had forgotten how soft the man actually was. If Sehun still had a beating heart, it would be pounding like crazy with how nervous he was wondering if Junmyeon was about to lay his head on his chest and hear his non-existent heartbeat. He internally sighed of relief when the smaller man instead opted on laying his head on Sehun’s shoulder, moving a little to bury his face in the crook of his neck. Sehun’s breath hitched when he felt a puff of air on his neck.

“You smell nice,” Junmyeon muttered against him with a smile.

“You sure you’re not drunk?” Sehun’s words sounded strained with the way Junmyeon kept on cuddling into his side.

“You said that Juho must have been broken when he found your friend,” the smaller man mumbled.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“I’m not,” Junmyeon whined, looking up at Sehun with his big eyes. “Completely sober. Not an ounce of alcohol in my system.” A pause. “Well, there’s a little bit alcohol from earlier, but I sobered up! I wouldn’t have followed you if I wasn’t sober.”

“…”

“What about you?”

“I’m sober.”

“Sehun.” Junmyeon playfully slapped Sehun’s arm. The taller man kept his lips sealed for a moment as he contemplated on telling Junmyeon how he felt. “You don’t have to tell me all of it if you don’t want to,” Junmyeon’s voice interrupted his contemplation. “I just want- I _need_ \- to know if you’re okay. I worry about you, you know. I know you tend to hide your feelings when things get too overwhelming.” Sehun must have looked like he was caught red-handed because Junmyeon rolled his eyes. “I’m short, I’m not blind.”

“Glad you realized that you’re a smurf.” The professor sat up- though his arms were still wrapped around Sehun’s waist- and glared at him threateningly.

“Call me smurf one more time and you’ll be seeing your kneecaps in a jar in the freezer.” Sehun laughed aloud, slapping a hand to his mouth to muffle his laughter in fear that he might accidentally wake his brother from his sleep.

“You and Juho have a thing with keeping body parts in the freezer.” Junmyeon grinned, laying back down on Sehun’s shoulder.

“Then he’s an intellectual like me.”

“What about me?”

“Hmm… highly debatable.”

“Hey!”

“Yes?” Sehun chuckled, tightening his grip on the smaller man in his arms. It felt good, Junmyeon felt cosy. He felt like comfort. It felt different from the comfort that Juho always offered him, but that did not mean that either of them was something bad. Sehun wanted to put a name on what he was feeling because it was confusing him, but he thought that it was best if he put it off for another day. He was not going to ruin the security that he felt with Junmyeon in his arms. Plus, he had managed to avoid and put off these feelings for years, what’s another day going to do?

“I’m going to miss him,” Sehun said, his turn to break the silence between them. His words made Junmyeon glance up at him, tilting his head just a little to look at the vampire’s face from below. “Chanyeol. I’m going to miss him. It surprised me a lot when Juho told me about it earlier-“

“The one where you were standing in the middle of the road?” Junmyeon cut him off, to which Sehun nodded silently.

“It hurt me when I found out, of course it would have, it hurt so fucking bad Junjun.” He felt the back of his eyes beginning to sting, tears wanting to fall down his cheeks. “Fucking hell, Jun. I wanted to date him. Who wouldn’t want to date that dumb puppy? He’s so fucking adorable and amazing at everything. I thought about dating him and he was on board with that idea, and I feel like such an asshole because not once during our dates did I think about wanting to kiss him, or hold him, or any of the normal shit that you would feel when you’re on a date. I didn’t think about doing that with him because I was too busy thinking about someone else.” Tears began spilling from his eyes, his body shaking violently from the sobs that were escaping his mouth. Junmyeon immediately repositioned the way he sat and held the taller man closer, carding his fingers through Sehun’s hair in a comforting way.

“The shittiest thing is that I don’t even know what I feel about this one guy and yet I kept on thinking about him. It’s like I never gave an opening for Chan to try and take my heart. Jun, it hurts so much. I never got to tell him that he deserves so much better, that he doesn’t deserve a dickhead like me.” Sehun flopped onto Junmyeon’s chest, holding him so close in hopes that it would numb the pain that was starting to make it hard for him to breathe. “Junjun, what do I do? He’s gone. I was just talking to him earlier, how can he be gone?” Junmyeon placed a kiss on his temple, hoping that it would soothe him even if it was just a little bit. It did not stop his tears, but it did make him relax minutely. Junmyeon took note of this and continued his ministrations. The shaking stopped gradually with each kiss that was placed on his temple, his eyes, his nose, his cheeks, his… Junmyeon paused as his lips hovered just a few inches above Sehun’s own, his hooded eyes darting from Sehun’s eyes and slowly down to his lips. As an instinct, Sehun’s eyes fluttered shut at the anticipation of Junmyeon’s lips that looked so soft and plump to be on his own. Instead of it landing on his lips, he felt a kiss being placed on his cheek again and his eyes opened in an instant. He saw the sad smile that Junmyeon had forced on his face and he fought the need to ask the man why he looked so sad.

“It’s getting late, Sehun,” he said. “You need to sleep.” Sehun did not want to sleep. He wanted to be whiny, to protest and ask why Junmyeon suddenly moved away when it was obvious as to what he was about to do; but a big part of him fought off that intention. He was scared of asking that, fear that he would lose the one good thing in his life- aside from Juho, of course. He knew that he had no rights to be upset over Junmyeon’s choice when he himself was not sure what he felt for the man, or if there were any feelings involved at all. With a reluctant stare, Sehun nodded his head.

“Okay,” he whispered. “But can you stay with me? Please?” Junmyeon subtly inhaled sharply at the way Sehun’s eyes glittered while talking to him in a low tone. He turned his head away, not wanting to look at the taller man that was in his embrace. In the muted darkness, Sehun could barely make out the blush that was dusting Junmyeon’s cheekbones.

“I hate you. You purposely did that, didn’t you?” Sehun chuckled, placing his head on the smaller man’s broad chest as he pushed Junmyeon down so that they were laid on the couch.

“Maybe,” he drawled with a sly smile on his face, earning himself a slap on his arm while Junmyeon’s other hand still gave him comfort in the form of gentle pats. The pairing of soothing strokes and the steady beat of Junmyeon’s heart lulled him till his eyes slowly drooped. Not soon after, he was fast asleep on the professor with the smaller man following his slumber soon after.

“Hunnie, I want to get mochis,” Juho whined while his arms were around Sehun’s waist, chin rested atop his brother’s shoulder. It had been around two months since Chanyeol passed away and the two brothers barely coped with their loss during the first couple of weeks. To Sehun’s surprise, Junmyeon came to visit them every day during those first couple of weeks. Well, he says visit but deep down he knew that the man was looking out for them even if he denied it through and through. Both Sehun and Junmyeon never spoke of the first night ever again, but if Sehun was being honest, he could feel as though there was this unsettled air between them when they were in the room together alone. Whenever Juho left to lock himself in his room again after having his meal, he and Junmyeon would just sit on the couch and have the bare minimum of a conversation. As soon as it seemed like the brothers were doing better, Junmyeon stopped coming by. Sehun tried contacting him, asking him to come by and eat with them, but the man replied with short words such as “I’m busy” or “I can’t. Sorry.” It irked the vampire when he got those replies because it felt like Junmyeon was trying to avoid him and he was not being subtle about it in the least bit. He knew that even if the man was busy with the piles of papers that was in his office, he would never refuse an offer from the taller. It was the way he spoke cutely to the man that made Junmyeon break always. Sehun felt sadness creep up him when he got the same reply a few hours ago and as if sensing that his brother was going through something, Juho had dragged him out of the house that night to head down to the small bakery that had opened just recently.

“Juho, we’re at a bakery, I don’t think they sell mochis here,” Sehun argued, feeling his brother’s weight on him increase gradually. “And stop leaning on me, you giant doofus. I might snap my spine in half with the way you’re leaning on me.” Juho pulled away from him and pouted when his brother turned around.

“Why are you so grumpy today?” Juho asked, eyes softening with concern. Sehun sighed.

“It’s nothing,” he smiled tiredly. “Come on, let’s get your mochis.”

“First of all, dumbass, this is a bakery, they don’t sell those kinds of sweets.”

“Don’t call me a dumbass-“

“Secondly, I can tell that something’s bothering you. Personally, I’m offended that you won’t share your problems with your brother, your soulmate, your everything.” Sehun rolled his eyes at his brother with a scoff. He turned back and picked up a tray with his eyes scanning the rows of puffs and breads, the scents filling his nose and triggering his saliva glands. His hand reached out as he chose the ones that he wanted, Juho next to him pointing to which ones that caught his eye. Soon enough, the two brothers were starting to pile up pastries.

“I’m fine, Ju-“

“If not, I’ll ask Junmyeonie.” Sehun froze in his stance, hands gripping the tray filled with pastries that the duo had picked out. His shoulders tensed when he heard the mention of the name that he wanted to not think about at the moment. His mind just wanted to forget that the man existed and have fun with his brother picking sweet treats for themselves.

“So, it was about him,” Juho sighed. “I had a hunch but…” Sehun looked over to the taller of the two with sad eyes.

“Juho-“ Both of them tensed up before feeling a shiver run down their spines just as the older brother was about to explain himself. Sehun could not think of anything other than to protect his brother, even if the chill that he felt was not a threat to him. He pulled Juho to the most crowded section of the bakery and silently prayed that his anxiety would not start kicking in at the absolutely worst timing.

“Sehun,” Juho whined while the older kept his grip firm around his wrist, tray long abandoned to the side. He shot his brother a stare to tell him that he needed to be quiet. The glare thrown at him effectively shut him up within a second. “What was that? It felt weirder than before. Is it a werewolf?” he whispered this time. Sehun shook his head softly, trying to minimalize the noises that he made.

“Kitsune.”


End file.
